Motivaciones económicas en la manumisión de esclavas: una comparación entre ciudades de América Latina

Abstract

The  manumission  of  slaves  was  a  structural  characteristic  of  colonial  Latin American society. Nevertheless, this does not mean that all or the majority of the slaves were able to leave captivity. Only a small percentage was able to end their days  as  free  men.  Women  formed  the  majority  of  this  percentage.  From  the largest slave regions to the peripheries; and from the beginning of the colonial era until total emancipation, more women were always manumitted in proportion to men. This article offers a partial hypothesis of such a phenomenon thatthe female slaves were more often manumitted because they were exempt from aying taxes, a privilege that the men did not have. It is studied how the slave family made the decision as to who should be manumitted.